have the honour to Report:
That we are of opinion that Mr. Laird has not established any claim against H.M. Govt.
That the trade of Mr. Laird, like that of any other merchant, must be subject to the political & public exigencies which render necessary the exercise of H.M.'s prerogative for the safety & welfare of her dominions, at home
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and abroad: this claim has not even that unfairness which might reasonably have been suggested, if he had made his purchase before the date of the Under Secretary's Council decision.
The case does not seem to us to be at all altered by his statement, that in his tender, he mentioned his intention of exporting the guns &c. purchased by him to Hong Kong,
or...